For Leverkusen and Liverpool to date are indeed strong candidates to become champions in the Europa League because looking at the quality of players in the club and with the performance they have at this time, the difference is very visible as for other clubat this time Milan and Atalanta are indeed one of the good challenger club especially they have won quite a landslide in the first leg but for Villarreal and Roma actually I think it's too soon to include them in the list at this time.
The reason is quite simple because they are still not certain to qualify in the play off phase even though they are favorites to win in contrast to Milan and Atalanta. for Roma's first meeting they only won a draw against Feyenoord. Its still fifty-fifty at the end of the day because of the situation we find ourselves in now with De Rosi in the domestic competition they are still quite good but there is still nothing to be proud of in terms of performance so Roma is still hanging in the balance when talking about qualifying and not in the playoff.
But for the Europa League there is a wild hope for me when there is a surprise club just like in the previous 2 seasons like Sevilla last season or Frankfurt in the last 2 season who became champions and that's what I hope in the Europa League.
I didn't expect that surprise to happen. Leverkusen and Liverpool are very strong and are favorites this season for the Europa League. and I'll back both as favorites. Regarding other teams and the possibility of surprises, I still believe Leverkusen and Liverpool are the best teams.
I believe there is a possibility of surprises from unexpected teams. that's common in Europe's top competitions. but hopefully not this season. Xabi started the season very well. Hopefully, there will be no obstacles for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga or the European League.
In terms of strength and club conditions, it is undeniable that Liverpool and Leverkusen are very good clubs to date when compared to other clubs in the Europa League but on the other hand we must also remember that in the last 2 seasons it was actually the same where at that time Barcelona or Manchester United and even prime Osimhen at Napoli made them the favorite club but in the end surprises can happen where there are always unexpected clubs that manage to get the trophy.
It's not impossible that this season will be the same even though it's only a slim possibility and just a wild thought but we can't rule it out now either because for whatever reason this kind of possibility always exists and can happen.
Some clubs now can still be troublesome and that must be taken into consideration so that probability sometimes loses to the luck of a surprise that occurs. While it's certainly hard to expect it at this point, I still feel that it could happen depending on how the pots are allocated in the Round of 16.